15 Best and 15 Worst Dog Breeds For First-Time Dog Owners

There are many things to consider when getting your first dog and in this video i will tell you all the important things you should think of, when buying or adopting a dog as a novice dog owner and i will give you examples of the best and worst dog breeds for first time owners.

While the breed alone is not everything as the socialization and training plays a crucial role in raising a good dog, choosing the right breed for you will make the job so much easier and enjoyable. Many owners today want some kind of a fashionable, trendy breed they saw on TV or social media, but it would be a big mistake to get such dog without investigating, if its personality, size, exercise needs are good fit for you.

There are certain personality traits, novice dog owners should look after in their first dog breed. Eager to please, friendly, calm, open with strangers and other animals, affectionate, loyal and gentle dogs are generally the best for novices. Smaller size can also be advantage for beginners, as the dog is easier to manage, but i will show you some giant dogs suitable for novices as well.

On the other hand, first time owners should avoid breeds that have strong natural protective or hunting instincts and dogs that are independent, strong willed, aloof or reserved with strangers. Always look at the history of the dog as well. If the dogs main utilization is livestock guardian, you can expect very strong and independent dog, if it was mainly used as a property protector, you can expect alert and suspicious dog and if it was mainly used as a hunter, you can expect a lively dog that will listen to his nose more than your commands.

You should explore as many breeds as possible before choosing the one. Study about their temperament, history, ask about the breed in kennel clubs, just do your survey properly. And without further ado, lets jump into the list of 15 best and 15 worst dog breeds for novice dog owners.

15) Shih Tzu
Small size, lovable and affectionate temperament, cute looks. The easy going and always friendly Shih Tzu is one of the best dog breeds for people with zero experiences with dogs.

14) Labrador Retriever
If you are looking for a larger dog that is good for novices, than you must consider the eager to please, playful and loving Labrador. You should look for the show line Lab, as the Working lines are slightly more challenging for novices.

13) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
This always cheerful little dog is known as extremely adaptable, gentle and open with everyone.

12) Golden Retriever
Personality wise, extremely similar dog to Labrador and the main difference between them is in the appearance. Both are perfect dogs for unexperienced owners.

11) Havanese
All the breeds from the Bichon dog group, and the Havanese is one of them, are amazing charming and easygoing companions for first time owners. And you will see some other Bichon dogs in this video as well.

10) Whippet
Unlike the popular believe, most sighthounds are very calm and relaxed dogs, that are good for novices and the Whippet is no exception. But it is pretty hard to train them to be good off leash, as they still have high chasing instincts.

9) Bernese Mountain Dog
If you are looking for giant dogs for novices, you must look for the so called „gentle giants“ and the Bernese Mountain Dog is just like that. Extremely gentle, relaxed and friendly with almost everyone.

8) Yorkhsire Terrier
Most terriers are not the best choices for novices, but the little Yorkie might be exception. But expect to have slightly more mischievous, independent and lively dog by your side.

7) Bichon Frise
Just like the Havanese, the Bichon Frise is very easygoing, gentle and charming dog. The only downside is that the grooming and maintance is little bit harder than with most dogs.

6) Papillon
Also known as „Butterfly dog“, the Papillon is a happy breed that loves to play outdoors, but also nap in your lap.

5) Boxer
The only guard dog in this video is the Boxer that loves to be with his people. They have strong desire for human affection and they are very gentle and patient with kids.

4) Greyhound
If you like the Whippet, but you would like slightly larger dog, than the Greyhound is perfect with you. Very relaxed, some even say coach potatoe, the Greyhound really is very calm, loving and affectionate companion.

3) Maltese
Another dog from the Bichon group, the Maltese share the same characteristics with the Bichon Frise and Havanese.

2) Poodle
The Poodle is very smart dog that comes in three size categories. For novices, i would recommend the toy and mini Poodles, but even the standard is easily trainable, friendly and affectionate dog breed.

1) Mixed breed
Mixed breeds from shelters might be a perfect start for novice dog owners. The shelter should help you to choose the right adult dog for you, so you do not have any troubles with socialization and training. Having a pre-trained dog with known behavioural habits is a huge advantage for people with no experiences of raising a dog. On the other hand, i would be cautious with buying a mixed puppy, as you will never truly know what temperament, size and exercise needs it will have.

So these were the 15 best dog breeds for novice dog owners, or at least based on my opinion. Now i will show you 15 dogs that i would not recommend to first time owners. I want to be clear, these dogs are not bad breeds, but they are often times challenging to train, socialize or exercise and they need the right home to become amazing companions. Here they are.

15) Siberian Husky
Huskies are super popular for their appearance, but they are extremely independent, very vocal and very very energetic.

14) Belgian Malinois
If i said that Husky is very eneregtic, the Belgian Malinois is extremely energetic. They are beautiful, they can learn almost anything and are able to perform almost any task, but most typical owners could not handle the physical and mental exercise needs of this wonderful dog breed.

13) Akita Inu
After the movie Hachiko, many people fell in love with the loyal Akita. But this dog breed was bred for hunting, dog fighting and protection and it is extremely suspicious, alert, independent and they have higher prey drive. Definitely a bad choice for first dog.

12) Chow Chow
Similar to Akita, the Chow Chow is known to be suspicious towards strangers, protective, alert and independent.

11) Dalmatian
Another breed that was popularized by a movie, 101 Dalmatians. And the Dalmatian is on this list because of their very high energy level and exercise needs.

10) Airedale Terrier
Almost all the terriers are not very good for first time owners. They are natural born hunters, independent thinkers and high energy dogs. And the Airedale Terrier is the largest of all terriers.

9) Weimaraner
Also known as Grey Ghost, the Weimaraner is popular for its stunning appearance, but once again, its high exercise needs makes it quite challenging for most typical dog owners. The Weimaraner is also known as highly attached to its owners and can easily suffer from separation anxiety.

8) Border Collie
One of the smartest dogs in the world, known from various tv shows, is actually not very good for novices. They are far too smart and far too energetic. They were bred to work all day long on farm, which is not possible for most people. With the right owner, the Border Collie is just amazing dog, but they are not the best fit for majority of owners.

7) Shar Pei
Similarly to Akita and Chow Chow, the Shar Pei is known to be protective, alert, suspicious of strangers and other animals, which is a bad combination for your first dog breed.

6) Beagle
One of the most popular dogs, the Beagle is a hunter at heart. They follow their nose more than your commands. They have strong prey drive and they are very vocal.

5) Alaskan Malamute
Once again, the ammount of exercise needs put this dog breed on our list. The Alaskan Malamute was bred as a strong sled dog and they require a lot of daily exercise to stay docile, happy and healthy.

4) Shiba Inu
One of the cutest internet dog is definitely not for novices. They have basically the same temperament as the Akita, just in smaller package. Very independent and stubborn dog, that is very often shy.

3) Bloodhound
Similarly to Beagle, the Bloodhound is natural born hunter that will follow their nose and they will drag you behind them while following the scent. Once they start chasing or tracking something, it is extremely hard for them to listen to your commands

2) Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is originally a war dog and protector. They are known to be very friendly and affectionate with its own family, but they have very strong instinctive guarding tendencies, which makes them tricky to manage as a newbie dog owner.

1) German Shepherd
The GSD is the last dog on this list. The combination of natural guarding instincts, high needs for mental stimulation, high energy level and big strength makes them also hard to manage for first time owners.

Here you have it. 15 best and 15 worst dog breeds for novice dog owners, at least according to Rocadog. BTW, if you will be interested in any of the dog breeds you saw in this video, i created separate videos about each one of them, so you can search for Rocadog + dog breeds name in Youtube search and check it out. Thank you for watching, see you in the next video.